Hearts battled to a 1-1 draw at home against Linlithgow Rose in the Lowland League on Friday night Substitute Owen Muirhead’s 90th minute strike earned the Jambos a point in a match where the home side had two goals disallowed for offside Angus Beith made five changes from the previous game against Strollers It was a cagey opening to the game with Linlithgow controlling the possession The Rose would strike first in the 10th minute Hearts goalkeeper Jack Lyon collided with a Linlithgow attacker in the box and the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty Dylan Paterson stepped up and dispatched the penalty into the bottom right corner which crept under the gloves of Jack Lyon The Jambos had their first chance of the evening on 20 minutes Macaulay Tait drove brilliantly from midfield and passed it through to Bobby McLuckie on the left wing who played a cut-back into the box but it was cleared away for a corner in the end the Jambos were forced to make an early substitution after Gus Stevenson went down injured Substitute Owen Muirhead looked to have scored straight away He was played through on the right wing and dribbled into the box before unleashing a low strike into the bottom right corner but the linesman raised his flag for offside Half-time: Heart of Midlothian 0-1 Linlithgow Rose  Hearts looked to improve in the second half as they hunted for an equaliser Matty Gillies was played through on goal and dinked the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net but it was ruled out for offside once again Jack Lyon was forced to make a fantastic save The away side had a free kick from just outside the area and the strike looked destined for the top left corner It was picked out of the air by Lyon and cleared away by the Hearts defence the match was brought to a standstill after the referee pulled up with a calf injury Owen Muirhead was played in behind the Linlithgow defence and got down the byline before brilliantly dinking one with his left foot into the bottom right corner for 1-1 Muirhead had a chance to get his second and put Hearts ahead the ball was played into Muirhead just inside the area His right footed effort sailed agonisingly over the crossbar in the end Speaking to the Official Hearts Website at full-time I thought our second-half performance in particular was brilliant “We had to deal with the adversity of the referee going off and we started the second-half so well and we managed to maintain it when the game restarted “We looked like the team that was going to win towards the end But the most pleasing thing was the performance levels from the team they performed at a really high level tonight and competed really well against a very good team in this league we managed to go and play through them and play in between the lines and pick them off that way.” The manager said he was happy to see Owen Muirhead get on the scoresheet We touched on it in the changing room after the game Owen had been training with the B team initially at the beginning of the season For the last eight weeks he’s been training with the 18s which has been better for his development and getting game minutes “He’s worked really hard and has put in consistent training performances and he’s reaped the rewards tonight and produced a great run and a brilliant finish.”  © Copyright 2016 - 2025 Heart of Midlothian Scottish Gas Scottish Cup R3Linlithgow Rose vs Raith RoversSaturday 30th November 20243pmMV Commercial Prestonfield Stadium Our initial 500 away tickets have sold out, however Linlithgow are now allowing Rovers supporters to buy directly from them by clicking here so these general admission tickets are valid for all fans Please email: lrfccommercial@virginmedia.com Raith Rovers begin their Scottish Cup campaign this Saturday when they take on Linlithgow Rose at Prestonfield in a Third Round tie.  The two sides are starting to get paired with each other fairly regularly playing each other in the Fourth Round two seasons ago and also in a Third Round tie in 2014.  Both those previous ties were also played at Linlithgow’s ground with Rovers coming out on top by the same 2-0 scoreline on both occasions.  Rovers were under the cosh for the first half especially in the first meeting in 2014 and only fine goalkeeping from David McGurk prevented the Rosey Posey taking the lead a second half penalty from Ryan Conroy settled the nerves before a Paul Watson header put the game to bed.  The last meeting between the sides also saw them draw a blank in the first half and a brace from Jamie Gullan eased Rovers through to a home tie with Motherwell.  While this game will see Rovers taking their bow in the competition managed by Gordon Herd have played two ties to reach this stage knocking out Highland League opposition on both occasions.  They defeated Lossiemouth 3-1 at home in the First Round and they again had home advantage in the next round defeating Clachnacuddin by three goals to nil.  and while they sit fifth in the Lowland League table they’re only three points behind leaders East Kilbride in what is shaping up to be a ding dong battle in the fifth tier.  Saturday’s match referee will be Alastair Grieve.  They kept 22 fish weighing 76¼lbs and 304 fish were returned with midge-tip sink-tip and intermediate lines used with blobs Graham Phusein with his boat partner kept eight fish for 28lb and returned 20 to fight again Ali Fyvie and George Mackintosh took four for 14 lbs put three back and they also missed a few using orange blob John and Robin Lambert kept four fish weighing 12¾lb during their session and Mr Penman Tam Robinson and his boat partner joined in the fun keeping two trout for 8¼lb and returning nine with George Pellini returned 23 fish while Mark Smith returned 13 trout Nick Pollard and partner kept two for 8lb and they returned six fish while Gavin Dunn and Jimmy Russell returned eight rainbows trout and Robin Smith with George Mackintosh also returned 18 fish Ian Dobbie returned six while Freddie Padden with Mark Lawton returned 21 Saturday was among the best days with Heriot AC Aaron Myers and partner were out for four hours and returned 12 and four fish respectively and Alan McGregor Young Jude Whitfield and friend had never fished the Loch before but managed to net four trout Ali Fyvie out with Jimmy Russell had a couple by noon while Jim eventually returned 11 rainbows The club continue to stock regularly (see Facebook) and boats are available on most days for a full day or four-hour sessions FINE FISH: Four trout from Linlithgow Loch Picture courtesy of the Forth Area Federation of Anglers Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs The Edinburgh Reporter brings you news all about Edinburgh Raith Rovers overcame the first hurdle in their 2024-25 Scottish cup journey on Saturday after comfortably dispatching lowland league side Linlithgow Rose 4-0 Raith gaffer Neill Collins made five changes to the team that faced Morton two weeks earlier – with a flurry of snow postponing last week’s trip to Hamilton Korede David made his first start for the club and Lewis Gibson was given his first start in the league since Collin’s arrival Sam Stanton also returned from a month-long injury spell and was put straight into the starting 11 along side Euan Murray and Ross Matthews who both earned their first start in eight weeks with a strong travelling Rovers crowd watching on The home side had the first chance of the afternoon but an effort from around the penalty spot ended up harmlessly bobbling past the post Raith built up to their first goal of the match soon enough after a long cross-field ball from Hanlon eluded the Linlithgow defence The ball fell to Gibson on the edge of the box who smashed a half-volley past the keeper and into the net The 19-year-old’s first goal for the club had put Raith ahead with around 23 minutes on the clock but didn’t manage to find the net again before the half-time whistle blew With neither side making a change during the break Dylan Easton picked up David’s pass out wide An outstretched leg clipped him as he cut inside – Penalty Rovers Easton sent the keeper the wrong way  as he confidently converted the penalty kick – giving Raith a two-goal lead with over 40 minutes left to be played and David continued to be a handful for the Linlithgow defence Having hit the post at the start of the half the striker looked determined to net himself a goal as he tore into the Linlithgow area before dancing his way through tackles as he hit the by-line His eventual ball across the face of goal took a deflection but it still found its way to Dylan Easton who was lurking at the back post The Rovers “showman” cooly kept his header inside the post – scoring his second of the match as he put Raith three goals up which gave Linlithgow little free time on the ball Montagu came on for Matthews in the 68th minute and the 17-year-old came centimetres away from scoring a few minutes later after tearing through on goal The midfielder tried to curl the ball into the far bottom corner but an exceptional save from Linlithgow’s Cameron Binnie prevented Montagu’s attempt from hitting the net with numerous chances arising after they continued to pick the ball up in the attacking portion of the pitch After several attempts on goal with no luck two earlier substitutes joined up to give Raith their fourth and final of the afternoon after Josh Mullin collected the ball up the field The winger advanced forward before playing a pass to Jack Hamilton who simply passed the ball into the net for Raith’s fourth of the match meaning Raith are now into the pot for the fourth round of this season’s Scottish cup All sights will be set back to the league however with an away trip to 1st placed Falkirk up next this Saturday IT may have slipped under the radar of most rugby fans that Linlithgow Rugby Club have caused more than just a little ripple of excitement in the Boys u16 National Schools Cup by reaching the quarter-finals of the competition First shock for the established sides was the dismissal of High School of Dundee by Linlithgow who achieved an astonishing 59-19 win away from home over the Mayfield outfit Linlithgow defeated St Columba’s 44-8 to book a third round place against Dollar Academy again away from home And despite being the decided underdogs Linlithgow emerged winners of that match at Dollar by 26-10 to secure a home quarter-final tie against Stewart’s-Melville College. Autumn Series: Sione Tuipulotu to skipper Scotland squad which contains five new caps Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership Round Eight Dream Team Schools/Youth round-up: Merchiston defend their Schools Festival title on a good weekend for Scottish youth rugby So what’s behind the emergence of the West Lothian challengers One reason is continuity and early introduction to the sport as Malcolm Dunn one of a coaching team that looks after this u16 group of young players “I’ve been coaching them for about 10 years The core players of this team have been together since they were seven or eight years old and basically I and others have been with them through their whole rugby journey to date and that included the big challenge that was Covid,” reflects Dunn The popularity of rugby in Linlithgow is evidenced by the current numbers involved in u16 rugby at the club “We have a squad of 40 at u16 level and are now trying to put out a B team,” explains Dunn having been part of a Taunton School colts side that went through its season unbeaten – and that included wins over sides like Millfield and Sherborne Although they are entered in the Schools National Cup Linlithgow is a 100 percent club side catering for the needs of state school boys for whom extra curricular rugby at their schools is now history And it’s not just from Linlithgow Academy that players are drawn albeit the bulk of the squad is from the local secondary The Linlithgow club’s u16 side also includes youngsters from Armadale Academy who played senior rugby at London Scottish and Hillhead/Jordanhill and who has coached in Capetown and Hillhead believes that it is the work of Dougie Thomson and Euan Mochrie that has proved so effective in building up the strength of the youth section “Dougie and Euan go into the school and introduce kids to rugby But everything is done by the rugby club,” Dunn points out adding: “Linlithgow is a well-run club and manages to fund one of the DO [development officer] positions” the Cup run is creating enormous excitement but outwith this competition the u16s have enjoyed success playing in the inspiresport Boys’ u16 East Schools League where they currently sit top of the table with four wins from four matches they defeated Stewart’s-Melville 55-17 last month but that was the Inverleith ‘B’ team and not the one Linlithgow will face in the Cup quarters The problem for Dunn and his fellow coaches is that the club struggles to find stronger opposition within the ‘official’ leagues “We applied to join the Caledonia/East Schools Conference but were told ‘there was no room for us’,” recalls Dunn “But through our network we do get matches against the likes of Dollar and we were able to go on tour to South Africa.” being successful at u16 level does not necessarily add up to success at the next stage “Up to u16 we can be competitive but we find it much harder at u18 level because at that stage the private schools have the facilities and resources to work on all aspects of a player’s performance.” Even so it was both encouraging and a source of pride for Linlithgow to have two of their u18s second-row Lewis McGill and centre Alfie Muir selected for the Edinburgh Reivers squad that played in the recent Merchiston Festival of Rugby and which won five out of their six matches And at u16 level Linlithgow have five representatives in the current Edinburgh squad managing a 40 strong squad that ranges from players who have been together since their early years to some who have played hardly any rugby is never an easy task but Linlithgow appear to have developed ways of moulding together players with different levels of rugby experience Dunns says that the focus at training is on the basics and an emphasis on inclusion and Inclusion is particularly important given the different rugby backgrounds “We have seven this year who had hardly played any rugby and this week we’re expecting two starters,” he said “We never turn away any youngster who is interested in playing Last year we won our conference by ensuring that everyone involved got a full half of rugby,” states Dunn “We aim to play matches through to the spring adding up to about 15 games.” Dunn and his fellow coaches have to manage the build-up to the Cup quarter-final game next month It will be a big occasion for the West Lothian club but whatever the outcome they have raised their profile to the point where the perceived big boys of the sport will now show respect and might even add Linlithgow to their geographical knowledge the October half-term breaks have created something of a competition vacuum in youth rugby in the South of Scotland where the Borders Semi Junior League [BSJL] provided some tasty games and successes against the North of England components of the BSJL with Hawick Youth and Kelso Quins achieving results in their cross-border matches Kelso Quins’ 25-24 away victory against Tynedale was a match that was all about harnessing the strong wind Quins did just that in the first half to lead 18-0 with two tries from Harris Ross and two penalties and a conversion from Richie Renwick Then in the second half the Hexham-based side used the strong airflow to establish a 24-18 advantage only for a last minute effort by Quins to engineer a try for flanker Charlie Smith the touchline conversation by Renwick sealing the narrowest of wins Hawick Youth’s 28-8 away win over Morpeth kept the young Greens in joint top spot and unbeaten in the BSJL Additionally the game allowed Hawick to rotate their squad and experiment ahead of what team manager Paul McDonald described as “a tough few weeks” ahead for the team Inspirational wing Connor McLeod bagged a brace of tries the other touchdowns coming from back-row trio Ellis Dirom Two of the five tries were converted by full-back Stuart Delaney Sharing the top position with Hawick Youth are Gala Wanderers who overran Jed Thistle to finish winners by 72-12 with a shoal of tries that included a hat-trick by inside centre and stand-out player Oisin Beard The wins by Hawick Youth and Gala Wanderers set up a titanic top-of-the-table battle between the two leaders if ever that tag can be applied in the postponed match that was rescheduled for this week the game on Tuesday night at the Volunteer Park ended all square and a 12-12 scoreline Hawick’s tries scored by Connor McLeod and Harry Wear Both Wanderers’ touchdowns came from back-row Rowan Chalmers the first of these converted by stand-off Callum Corry Hawick’s skipper and hooker Jack Brown admitted that Gala had perhaps had the edge saying: “Gala held the ball very well and they had more possession We’re disappointed but at the end of the day we’re still [sharing] top spot.” coach Lawrence McPherson suggested that the schools mid-term break may have affected the performances of each team “For both sides there have been periods when players have been away so we haven’t been able to train as normal We’ve still got one or two away as I’m sure Hawick do I think both sides were nervous but they had a real go at one another while Kelso Quins and Jed Thistle have home games respectively against Alnwick and Morpeth In the inspire National One Club Conference Boroughmuir play Ayr/Wellington at Meggetland Stirling County travel to Stonehaven to face Mackie and West of Scotland welcome Currie Chieftains to Burnbrae Breadalbane Finance Community Rugby Story Of The Month … Linlithgow They are a club side and can pick players from a number of schools whereas school sides can’t Club sides shouldn’t play in school leagues as they have advantages over school sides particularly in the older age groups When a player leaves school they can’t play for a school side but they can continue to play for a club team such as Linlithgow or Marr Players born after 1st September can still play u18 rugby club rugby even though they are too old to attend school A team consisting of pupils from that school Well done Linlithgow as they’re a well structured team and great to see so many players in the squad Dunbar has also joined them in the quarters being another state school Berwick and Strathendrick on their journey…tough challenge away to Marr awaits The u16s have an excellent coaching team to attribute their success to They are fortunate the volunteer coaches are so committed to dedicating time to coach and support the boys with training A certain Leslie family in Lower Hutt will be pleased Great to see the likes of Linlithgow showing that there is potential in the state schools and with the right sort of coaching and introduction at a young age there is a lot of potential Well done to them and may others try and do the same to say they were an underdog in any of those games is a bit unfair of their level of ability is it Linlithgow Academy or Linlithgow Rugby Club that are through to the quarter finals of the Schools Cup I appreciate it’s the club that is doing all the work If it’s the club then does that mean that other clubs could feasibly choose to play in the National Schools Cup rather than the club equivalent it’s a club that’s able to play as a school too same way that stewart mellvile rugby club is separate from the school although it’s not only linlithgow academy students that can play Makes a lot of sense to pool resources across a number of local state schools to be able to compete Well done to all at Linlithgow lessons there for a lot of state schools hopefully Stuart Hogg facing lengthy lay-off and … “If Langholm proves anything, we have to stay focused. As far as the title race goes, it was huge for us that Kelso got only three points at Earlston.” … “We did well to fight back at times, but we gave away some silly penalties, allowed them far too easy access into our 22. When you give them access to the 22 time and time again, it’s difficult to put that amount of effort in.” … Enjoyed this article? Quality journalism like ours is made possible by readers like you. If you value our in-depth coverage of Scottish rugby at all levels and want to see more, please consider supporting us with a subscription or donation It helps us keep delivering the news you love Thank you for being a part of The Offside Line community independent and up-to-date coverage of all aspects of Scottish rugby photographers and business minds bring their talents and enthusiasm to our unrivalled coverage of the game © 2016-2025 Scottish Rugby News from The Offside Line | Kept onside by webporty Posted by | Jan 17, 2025 | | 0 has joined Linlithgow Rose on a permanent deal James formed a critical part of our League Two winning side and his contribution to the club and that incredible season will live long in the memory of Warriors fans James appeared for the Warriors almost 70 times in all competitions Gary Naysmith said: “James was a model professional from the first day that he joined the club and he was always willing to play wherever I asked him to play was that he wanted to play more games from the start rather than making an impact from the bench as a substitute We had a really good honest chat about this a week ago and during this chat James asked if he could leave the club in search of regular game time “Although I didn’t really want to lose James I could completely understand where he was coming from and after a few days of thinking about things “James will be missed both on and off the pitch as he was a popular figure within the changing room but he leaves with the best wishes of everyone at the club No Stenhousmuir fan will ever forgot the iconic celebrations when he scored in injury time away to Spartans last season I would like to thank James for everything he has done for the club and myself over the last 18 months and I wish him well in the next chapter of his footballing career at Linlithgow Rose Everyone at the club wishes James the very best at Linlithgow and thank you for the memories he was so pivotal in creating Designed by Stenhousemuir FC | Powered by thefingerprint This cookie statement explains what cookies are and what you can do to manage your cookie preferences This work is part of the one initiative and is taking place back to back in order  to minimise disruption during other periods of the year Phase 1 - High Street and Water Yett Car Park- 28 October to 20 November The first phase of upcoming works will take place between Monday 28 October and Wednesday 20 November on a section of the A803 High Street from the crossing outside the Medical Centre along to the Golden Chip shop Additional works also being carried out in the Water Yett Car Park Work are to replace existing temporary footpath with improved drainage new kerbing and making permanent footway extension on this section of the High Street & this will commence from Monday 28 October The initial stage of the works will take place under a 3-way traffic light system with shop and residential access still being maintained Parking will be also be suspended on the High Street section of the works and on the vertical bays on the road into the Water Yett Car Park on the east side from Monday 28 October until 5pm on Tuesday 12 November The temporary traffic lights will be removed and a full road closure will then be put in place from 8am on Monday 11 November until 5pm on Wednesday the 20 November This will cover the same location as mentioned above A signed diversion route suitable to for all road traffic will be in place via the A803 Please note local businesses will remain open and local access for residents and business deliveries will be maintained during the closure period where possible Emergency service vehicle access will be maintained.  Local bus routes will be impacted during this period Details of any required changes to regular services will be shared The Water Yett Car Park will also be closed on 11 and 12 November Further information is available via the West Lothian Council website: https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/article/83345/A803-High-Street-Linlithgow-Road-Closure-Monday-11-November-Wednesday-20-November Phase 2 - B9080 High Port - 18 to 25 November Improvement work will then commence at B9080 High Port A parking suspension will be in place from Monday 18 November until Monday 25 November on parking bays on this stretch of road from the roundabout at Star and Garter to just before the rail bridge for road works This work will initially start off under a 4-way traffic light system from 18 to 20 November then change over to a full road closure from 21 - 24 November.  Please note this work will only start once work has been completed on Linlithgow High Street For more details, visit: https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/article/83344/B9080-High-Port-Linlithgow-Road-Closure-Thursday-21-November-Sunday-24-November Phase 3 - Roundabout and footway near Star & Garter building - 25 to 29 November 3-way traffic lights will be in place at the roundabout at the front of the star and garter to allow for the installation of historic boundary stud markers on the roundabout Work will also take place on the setts at the front of the Star and Garter Building Historic Environment Scotland (HES) invites visitors to experience thrilling horsemanship and the impressive skills of courageous knights as they take to the arena falconry displays and entertainment from court jesters the event offers a host of activities to engage with our heritage in an exhilarating way Spectacular Jousting will take place at Linlithgow Palace from 11.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June Advance booking required to guarantee entry. Tickets can be bought in advance online at alittlehistory.scot/jousting and are free for Historic Scotland members Laura ElyHistoric Environment Scotland Media Office07721 959 962communications@hes.scot Our app is your one-stop shop for information on Scotland’s iconic historic attractions The resurfacing of roads and footways completely closed the street for ten days leaving shopkeepers and shoppers complaining and council staff and contractors on the front line.  And the abuse suffered by staff working on the scheduled and vital upgrade was made worse by anger whipped up on social media.  Local Lib Dem Councillor Sally Pattle – who owns a bookshop in the town – slammed those who had abused staff but admitted the roadworks had caused “major disruption” to local businesses.    And she called for better consultation and communication over sensitive roadworks.  She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:  “The major roadworks have encompassed several pieces of work that have been rolled into one major disruption and which has included 10 days of total road closure effectively cutting Linlithgow in two.”  Councillor Pattle said the total closure had severely impacted people trying to go about their business and those living in surrounding residential streets which they found became rat runs for traffic trying to negotiate a route through the town.  She added: “Linlithgow High Street is rightly celebrated for its wealth of independent businesses which should be enjoying a busy run-up to Christmas many are sitting in empty shops and cafes.”  She added: “In Linlithgow we’ve got a Town Management Group and an active voluntary group of traders.   “None of these groups were consulted about the timing of these works they would happily have sat down with the roads department and worked out a more suitable time for the works to take place.  “I have repeatedly asked what framework is used by the council to determine when works of this magnitude should take place In the written response provided to me today they state that they inform large businesses so they can plan shift patterns but apparently no consideration is given to small businesses.  I am acutely aware of the challenges we are facing with the combination of skyrocketing operating costs the cost-of-living crisis and the result of the recent budget which is adding yet more pressure onto small and medium businesses.”   Councillor Pattle castigated those who had targeted the road crews with abuse: “Of course it’s not right for anyone to be cross with the workers in fact they’ve been incredibly helpful to traders trying to get deliveries etc.   “The issue is the lack of consultation with regards to the timing and the failure to acknowledge the negative impact this decision.”  as workmen finalised the work and began dismantling barriers a council spokesperson told the LDRS: “It’s a significant amount of work and council staff and the onsite contractors staff have been subject to considerable abusive and aggressive behaviour from members of the public.   “We are also aware of abuse directed at our staff by others on social media “This is from a minority of people but it is really disappointing and nobody deserves this whilst working and doing their job This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.   “The safety measures that are in place protecting the worksite are there for the protection of the public and road staff carrying out their duties Cars and pedestrians are therefore not permitted to pass through barriers and into closed roads and footways.   “Unauthorised and illegal access to the site is not permitted at any time and may lead to injury and unfortunately Police Scotland have had to be notified to assist the council in the instances that have been recorded.  “We understand that there are people who are not satisfied with road works and the impact that they have they are carried out to improve roads and paths and they will be over soon.”  Councillor Pattle  said she intended to raise the issue   with the council in the New Year.  By Stuart Sommerville Local Democracy Reporter  The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations Kevin Haynes’ first game as Berwick boss ended in disappointment as Linlithgow Rose cruised to victory at Prestonfield Sean Brown’s controversial ‘goal’ and Connor McMullan’s strike gave Rose a two goal half time lead with Alan Sneddon adding a third late on Of even greater concern will be the injury to club captain Jamie Pyper who left Prestonfield on crutches with Haynes confirming post-match it wasn’t looking promising with Arran Laidlaw and Max McGinley stepping into the starting XI in place of Cai MacNamara and the recently departed Kane O’Connor It was almost a disastrous start for Berwick when Somers lost the ball at kick off leading to Brown going down in the area after Pyper pushed him It was a clear penalty but Callum Antell did superbly to turn Dylan Paterson’s penalty around the post Berwick could have taken an early lead through Liam Buchanan The striker latched onto some indecision from Greg Skinner but his effort was saved by a sprawling Cammy Binnie in the Rose goal The first half then turned into the Callum Antell special with the Berwick keeper at his best to deny Rose at every turn saving from Paterson and Dean Watson as the pressure began to tell on Berwick Rose would find the breakthrough albeit in controversial circumstances McMullan’s cross from the left found the head of Brown whose attempt was partially cut out by Owen Calder before Antell stopped it on the line the referee and linesman decided to award the goal despite Antell’s hands never once going behind the goal line and a clear divot where the ball was held in place With Pyper limping off and Berwick still angry about the opening ‘goal’ the hosts doubled their lead right before half time The ball was worked to McMullan on the edge of the area who had a pop and his shot bounced in front of Antell and found the corner Rose continued to push the issue in the second half creating chance after chance but either poor decision making or Antell denied them Substitute Laurie Devine had the best opportunity going one on one with Antell but shooting far too close to the keeper who saved well Rose’s finishing woes were encapsulated ten minutes from time More nice play saw the ball pulled across the box where Nelson’s clearance ricocheted off Dean Aitken and fell right to Devine Nelson was able to block his initial attempt but the ball was worked back to Devine who somehow managed to hit his own teammate Sneddon when it looked like the ball was going into the corner A corner made its way all the way through the Berwick box to Sneddon who fired through the crowd and past Antell Berwick did create a great chance for a consolation late on Nice interplay between Matty Collins and Rayan Mohammed created space for Somers but his effort was brilliantly stopped by Binnie Berwick remain 15th in the Lowland League after today’s results although do have a couple of games in hand on some teams around them Up next is a first game for Kevin Haynes at Shielfield Park as East Stirlingshire are the visitors A recent marketing exercise by West Lothian Council produced two offers for the site – but neither was as viable or as valuable to the council as the existing car park which currently brings in £100,000 a year in rental.  Now the council has pledged to work with the community to improve the dilapidated buildings in the short term – and continue to look at long term solutions for the controversial and in its time award winning development.  And senior Labour councillor Tom Conn criticised  descriptions of the building as “a concrete colander” urging that the language around the  Vennel debate be toned down saying: “These are people’s homes.”  In a report   to the council’s Executive David Baird Finance and Property Services said: “Two offers were received by the council Both offers included high level design proposals for the site One of the submissions included a price offer although it fell below the market value of the property while the other bid omitted to include a financial offer.   “The offers received reinforce the principle established in the valuation that the current investment value of the assets on site exceed the development value of the land meaning the site is of more value to the council as a revenue generating asset compared to a capital receipt if sold for development.   “Given that neither offer met the Council’s requirements in terms of best value neither can be submitted for consideration.”  Mr Baird said limited funding is available from the Shared Prosperity Fund and it is suggested that this is used to develop a plan to address some improvement works.  Proposed works could include aesthetic improvements to the buildings It is proposed this will include looking at alternative uses for the former public toilets works to refresh the appearance of the façade of existing buildings along with public realm improvements to revitalise the area and enhance links to the Lochside while also creating a public space which would encourage visitors and residents to better use the area.   He concluded: “It is proposed that the Council will commission a feasibility study to improve the appearance and utilisation of The Vennel and retain its land and property holdings as income generating assets.”  Lib Dem Councillor Sally Pattle asked if the framework had changed so that the Town Management group was now considered the best group to act as contacts.  Mr Baird said   there was no intention to  exclude any particular community group in favour of the Town Management group He stressed that Property Services staff were keen to speak to all in the community who could have an input.  Councillor Pattle also asked what the time-scale would be for work being carried out.   Mr Baird said he would be happy to have face to face meetings in Linlithgow to discuss future short-term plans for the buildings.  Councillor Pauline Orr said: “I welcome the report as you know a fairly contentious  issue.I think communication between all the parties needs to be looked at There has been a lot of upset at the lack of communication so far that needs to be strengthened.”  Councillor Conn agreed with Councillor Orr that communication needed to be improved but added: “I have to raise the issue where a local magazine portrayed the flats as being colanders That doesn’t come across terribly well that a community magazine is actually referring to resident’s homes as colanders and they should be pulled down because of that Callum Sandilands scored twice at the death to secure Hearts B a massive three points in a seven goal thriller against Linlithgow Rose at Prestonfield The Wee Jambos trailed the Rose by two goals at half-time but a relentless push to the end saw Hearts snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in an end-to-end Lowland League contest that could have gone either way Liam Fox stuck with the eleven that swept aside Gala Fairydean Rovers 5-1 on opening day but the young Maroons had a mountain to climb after 25 minutes The impressive Dylan Paterson converted from the spot after nine minutes when Cammy Thomson was fouled in the box The first half was all Linlithgow as Hearts struggled to get a foothold in the game with Jamie MacDonald called into action frequently before Rose got their second after 25 minutes Kai Smutek had no choice but to make a professional foul on the edge of the area as Linlithgow attacked clearing the way for Paterson to net his brace with a sublime free-kick with Hearts winning a penalty just minutes into the opening stanza after Finlay Pollock was felled whilst running onto a delightful James Wilson ball Hearts rued their luck as Cammy Binnie in the Rose goal threw himself the right way to deny Wilson and Wilson put his penalty heartache behind him as he netted a poacher's finish after 72 minutes to get Hearts back in the game Hearts had well and truly found their feet by this point and it was an inch-perfect cross that found skipper Adam Forrester unmarked at the back post - nodding past Binnie with aplomb to level the score Testament to the frantic nature of the match Laurie Devine led the Rose up the park just a minute later and slotted past MacDonald to restore the hosts' lead Hearts rode their luck and were rewarded when a mistake from Cammy Binnie allowed Sandilands to stride past him and roll the ball into the empty net to restore parity once more The final act of a truly memorable match was capped off as Pollock powered towards the byline and whipped a delightful ball across goal with Callum Sandilands forcing his way through the melee to net the winner at the death A massive three points for the Wee Jambos who welcome Tranent to Ainslie Park on Friday night (9th August) Edinburgh Rugby is excited to announce a special 'Rugby on the Road' community event coming to Linlithgow RFC's Mains Park next month Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to see the Edinburgh Rugby squad in action and enjoy a fun afternoon of rugby at the home of Linlithgow RFC supporters must register for their tickets in advance via the link below Watch the Edinburgh Rugby squad train live: Get a glimpse behind the scenes as the team is put through its paces with a special 45-minute training session Meet the players: After the training session you’ll have the chance to meet your Edinburgh Rugby heroes at a player signing session Interactive rugby drills for kids: Fans will have the opportunity to get involved with the squad with a selection of fun and interactive rugby drills and sessions said: “We’re delighted to bring ‘Rugby on the Road’ to Linlithgow RFC “It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with our supporters in the heart of our community and we look forward to sharing a fun afternoon of rugby with everyone who attends.” added: “The squad is really looking forward to training at a local club and meeting the fans ahead of the new season “Events like this are a chance for us to connect with our fans and share the excitement for the new season together.” Your free ticket will be sent to the Scottish Rugby ticketing app Please download the app before registering if you don’t have it already Getting there: Mains Parks is around a 15-minute walk from Linlithgow station Blue badge parking is available at the Mains Park please email [email protected] or request a pass Sign-up for our newsletter today to receive the latest updates that is not a record as Edinburgh-based Trevor Kitson had 72 on his own around five years ago fishing a size eight buzzer and giving it short tweaks secretary of the Forth Area Federation of Anglers (FAFA) said the 56 is the best return recorded in recent years and he added: ”We’re surprised at the numbers recorded and we’ve not had catch returns like this for some time.” the FAFA have introduced 950lb of fish into the water every week and they received another shipment this week to top up supplies Other anglers have joined in the fun with Robin Smith and George Mackintosh returning 24 trout with their biggest estimated at around 7lb while Ali Fyvie and Jimmy Russell returned 22 trout during their session Lambert reported that 35 boats were launched during the week with 54 anglers on board and a total of 50 fish were kept weighing 167lb with 109 fish returned Other notable catch returns included one by Les Mitchell who returned nine fish while Ian McLaren out with George Mackintosh kept four trout and returned ten while Mr Innes kept four and returned 14 fish Waders AC were back and the four anglers kept 11 trout weighing 34 lbs the heaviest caught by Douglas Gribble weighed in at 5lb 2oz Boats are available on most days for a full day or four-hour session and bosses advise anglers to book ahead by ringing 01506 671753 or by booking online in advance Bowden Springs report good sport on both the fly and bait pond Top rod was Billy Wilson with 15 fish with the best an 8lb brown on FAB He has enjoyed a good month as he hooked into 17 on a previous visit Matt Taylor had nine and a biggest a 5lb brown trout Finlay was next best on six with a biggest of 4lb on lures Ryan Burns had a best of an 8lb brown in his bag of three on egg and lures the best fish tempted was to Colin Ross who had a 5lb trout on Powerbait Fishing is picking up at Pottishaw near Whitburn with the overwintered fish “waking up” Bosses confirm that water quality and temperatures are improving daily and there have been a number of brown trout netted Drumtassie near Blackridge remind customers that the two fly ponds will be closed on Sunday April 13 for the Scottish Stillwater Bank Final and anglers are catching and Allandale Tarn owner yellow dancer and white eggstacy have been working along wth diawl bach A number of anglers have ended with double-figure numbers and double-figure sized trout too Big Tiger trout have been on the move and the beastie rainbows are also getting hooked.” is open until 4.30pm currently but she added that times will start to open up shortly Harlaw Reservoir in The Pentland Hills above Balerno opens for the season on April 1 Anglers can fish the Water of Leith from April 1 but require a free permit from the Water of Leith Centre at 24 Lanark Road Glencorse is now open for the season and the first weekend fished well with fishery manager confirming that Saturday was the best day with midge tip and Di3 lines with a variety of patterns Martin Williamson from (Tranent) featured in the catch returns from Newlands Tweeddale with nine fishing a white rabbit with Alex Rowley (Dalkeith) on eight Johnson Hillen (Musselburgh) had 11 on apps and bloob patterns while Bob Cockburn(Duns) had 15 on mini-Ally McCoist and bloodworm PICTURE: Robert Salmond with one of his fish caught at Linlithgow Loch Picture courtesy of Forth Area Federation of Anglers